Light in Darkness
by The Final Cookie
Summary: Updated, Oct. 18th! Takes place after Nightmare's ending in SC2. Surely he couldn't stop others from the blade forever, could he? Could one person change that pact forever? Siegfried&Orig. Char.


(For those of you who read this the first time I posted this... thanks! I've decided to change a few things in it, so I re-posted. Not anything big, just a few corrections and I got rid of the chapters, making this one long story! I won't finish it right away because I'm waiting to see how SC3 plays out... so enjoy the story for what it is! And as always... Namco owns Nightmare/Siegfried and Soul Calibur. I do have the rights to my own character. Please review (Constructively!), it's greatly appreciated and it'll only take a quick sec! )

Another lone day of his existence was slowly coming to an end as the last rays of light disappeared over the Germanic mountains, tainting the clear, blue sky the deepest shades of violet that would soon darken into black. All was well in the Ostrheinsburg Chapel, but it was no longer the holy place that it once was. There was an air all around it that made everything seem tainted with an ominous feeling: a feeling of death. Even when the light would shine through the stained glass windows, it was not nearly as bright as the days before it. Or maybe it seemed that way. There were times the chapel seemed peaceful, like everything would get better, but then another person would come out of nowhere, seeking the Soul Edge and that meant darkness would fall once more. No one could touch it anymore, **_no one_**, not even its previous wielder, Siegfried Schtauffen, a man who dedicated the rest of his life seeing to just that. He thought that he had done his best when he destroyed the path to the chapel, sealing himself and the blade inside, but apparently he was wrong. They always found a way in.

Men and women alike would climb up out of sheer curiosity, while others came striving for power, wanting to claim the almighty sword as their own. Of course, the majority of them would run after setting eyes on him, and who wouldn't? What with his deformed arm and those hideous scars that were visible at various places of his body. It was enough to make most of them run away, but those who decided to stay would ultimately end up defeated.

He secretly hoped his appearance alone were enough to send anyone running so he wouldn't have to kill anymore, but that didn't happen nearly enough as he wanted. After all, it's not like he wanted to do it; he had to. They were so persistent. Even if he were to leave them to recover, they would only come back. So he looked at it as a necessary evil. With the death count rising and the bones piling up at the base of the chapel, he hoped that would work as a ward of sorts to keep everyone away. But still they came, giving him those unwanted visits. Then again, no one said being a guardian would be an easy task.

When he decided to take constant vigilance over the accursed Soul Edge, he knew that the blade would find a way to draw others toward its power even if it were stuck down in a seemingly impossible place. Siegfried's cause was to thwart the blade's ambition. The blade brought them from all over the world. From the greedy people who sought the blade for sheer power, or what the market sales could bring it for to the curious individuals who had simply heard legends of this mighty sword with terrible, but awesome powers. These were the people, the tainted, the susceptible, and the easy prey that the Soul Edge fed on. He would take the rest of his life to ward them off, a sacrifice that was necessary to keep the demonic blade at bay. No one knew the price of wielding the Soul Edge quite as well as he.

The most sacred trinity: his body, his mind, his soul… as soon as he touched the hilt, they were no longer his, though his mind had already been lost to him when he killed his father. How easy it must have been for the blade to invade his already vulnerable mind. To tear away at his flesh and make him over as an incarnation of itself, one that slaughtered the masses for four straight years while he slept. There wasn't a day during that time he didn't wake up from his innocent slumber to the smell of blood and decaying of corpses.

A nightmare indeed. Though, the whole incident happened three years ago. It was what one may consider a 'while', but to him it felt like only yesterday. He could never fully wash his hands clean of that blood. It wasn't entirely his fault. Yet, he knew he was responsible since his greed had blinded him. The scars, his arm, and even his placement now, they were there to remind him of the blade's potential. Even now, he was somewhat bonded to it by his arm. Sometimes, he could hear it's voice in his head pleading with him, taunting him, so he would take it and release it's evil power once more.

'You can still bring your father back and make your mother happy again,' he would hear. 'You do want to see her happy, don't you? Or would you prefer her to die alone in that shack as a withered old woman since neither of you will ever be coming back?'

"Stop it…" Siegfried growled.

'Or maybe she did herself in already, grieved at the disappearance of her husband and her only son,' it went on. 'Her corpse huddled in a corner, withering away to nothing.'

"Stop it!" he yelled louder.

'I belittle her. Your mother is strong, but not strong enough against me,' it's voice darkened, 'against us.'

"Shut up, dammit!" Siegfried shouted while gripping his head.

'Just think, to make everything all right, all you have to do is touch me. Be one with me and I will help you.'

"Never again!" Siegfried glared into the black abyss, "Ever!"

All he heard was his voice echo back to him, 'ever! … Ever…' When all was silent, in both the abyss and his head, he leaned against a stony wall, rubbing his temple. What if it was right? What if his mother was dead because of him? Siegfried shook his head and reasoned with himself. No, it was just a temptation to lead him down there, and down the path of darkness yet again. He couldn't let it get to him. Yet, at the same time he couldn't help but wonder, between the lack of sleep and the sword's voice, if he really was going to lose his mind again. Would he ever recover? It seemed impossible, since it was three years later and he was still suffering the mental torment from the first time the Soul Edge's grip on him weakened.

"No one said it was going to be easy," Siegfried reminded himself, closing his burning, fatigued eyes for a moment. He knew he was going to be alone, he knew people would eventually find a way to the blade; he knew all the consequences and sacrifices as soon as the bridge crumbled to the pit below. He brought his good hand up to rub his eyes. He was so tired and more so lately than usual, like his energy was draining out of him in the passing days. He was almost afraid to fall asleep, like the Soul Edge was going to grip him when he was most vulnerable, but that idea sounded so ridiculous. Besides, if it were strong enough to, it would have done so a long time ago.

"I've just been restless lately," Siegfried murmured to himself, as if to give the reason why he kept hearing a voice, "It's nothing…" His voice trailed off as he slid to the ground and immediately fell asleep.

* * *

One would think that the chapel would bless its guardian with sweet dreams; but it would be long before they would come his way. That night he dreamt of murdering as that monstrosity again. He knew what was going to happen before he even did it. Yet, there was nothing he could do to stop it, for his body had a will of its own, but no conscious whatsoever. The blade was stained the deepest crimson, not from just one person, but many, and god knows how many he had gone through already. Men, women, and children alike, nothing was safe from its wrath. Lands to the slaughter, the Soul Edge fed on human flesh and its hunger was insatiable. So much, to the point that it drove Siegfried away from the only family he had left, the mother whom he felt he betrayed. In that shining, radiant face, that purity and innocence that haunted his dreams even to that day.

"Siegfried, what has become of you?" he heard a familiar voice. The monster turned to see none other than Margaret, its host's mother.

"Mother…" He thought inwardly. He never wanted her to see him like this. Oh please just have her look away or at least run! He wasn't even himself anymore; there was nothing he could do. He couldn't even cry out in warning.

The woman ran toward the armored demon with tears in her eyes as she touched its arm, "Siegfried, darling, why are you doing this? This isn't like you! I didn't raise you to become like this! What would your father think if he were still here?"

The form laughed mercilessly as it raised its blade high into the air, "Your husband is dead, woman."

Tears flowed down her cheeks at this and she looked as if she would slip into a state of shock, but another laugh made her come to and look at him pitifully, "Why?"

"Thank your son for that one, but don't grieve woman, I will send you along with him!" And with those words, Nightmare brought his sword down swiftly with a sickening chop sound that tore into the delicate skin of her breast. Margaret screamed as she fell to the ground, bleeding heavily on the grass below. Before she spent her final breath, she murmured, "Siegfried…" He wanted nothing more than to run, to get away, but he could not because he was dormant, helpless: a prisoner inside his own flesh. He was part of a never-ending terror of bloody slaughter. One person after another fell to Nightmare's feet from the accursed blade until after what seemed like an eternity, he stopped to a familiar noise.

He couldn't place his finger on what it was right away until he looked up and realized his senseless killings had taken him back to the chapel where the bell was ringing. That was odd. The bell usually rang whenever a chosen warrior was there and the only one standing there was him, who'd been there many a time. It never rang unless someone else had come after him. Nightmare looked about with confusion as he continued to search for where this other warrior could be standing. But he saw no one, and the bell was growing so loud that it was piercing, even to his dormant soul. Nightmare clutched his head and fell to his knees holding his head and screaming, but before he thought his head would literally split, he felt a pair of warm hands rest upon the crown of his head. Whoever they belonged to, they forced Nightmare to be dormant again and Siegfried was left looking around only to see no one, but he heard a comforting, female voice tell him 'it'll be okay'. Neither the voice nor the hands were familiar to him, but he couldn't help but believe what she had said. But at the same time, things couldn't be okay. It was impossible. Someone else was in the room with him.

* * *

Siegfried's eyes shot open between the shock of his dreams and the reality that there really was somebody there. He reached over, grabbing his sword's hilt and without second thought, raised it into the air. He did so in such a fluid motion that one would think he had been awake the entire time. He did his best to scan the area with his hazy eyes. At first, he saw no one, but then he looked down to the ground. Near his feet he saw a cloaked figure kneeling on the ground before him, unmoving. They were not armed from what he could tell. Their head stayed humbly bowed and their hands were placed in front of them in a peaceful, praying position. Still, it was someone who shouldn't have been there to begin with.

It would have been so easy right then to quickly bring the blade down and take care of another individual who was after the blade, but he stopped when he realized something. Everyone who had been there before was direct in his or her actions of trying to fight their way past him, but this one just sat there. The stranger wasn't doing anything wrong, but surely they hadn't come all this way to pray. He slowly lowered his blade and spoke instead, "Who are you to enter this sacred place?"

The figure stooped their head lower, as if aware that they shouldn't have been in such a place. A muffled female voice came from beneath the hood, "Forgive me, my god." This one was a girl, and by the sound of it a young one from somewhere in the Far East. It was rather unusual that a young girl would come up this way, but even more unusual that she had called him a 'god'. It threw him off for a moment, but still he continued to hear what she had to say. It would very well mean her life or her death.

"I have come here because of a calling from my dreams. I dreamt of this very temple on this exact mountain. These steps and this scenery are all familiar to me, yet I have not been here before. I seek answers as to why my dreams have brought this way. Please, I mean this place no harm. I do not even know why I'm here."

Siegfried stared at her, his look unchanging, but on the inside he was shocked. She didn't even know why she was here? This had to be the Soul Edge's way of luring another here to make them its new host.

"If you don't know, then you'd do best to leave this place," Siegfried told her.

"Please, I have traveled far to come here for my answer! Please…" she begged him.

She was innocent and sincere in her words, but one could not be assured by just a voice. After all, the eyes were the gateway to the soul and hers were covered.

"Remove your hood," he commanded.

The girl hesitated for a moment before she reached up and pulled the garment back to reveal the fairest of faces that not even the morning light could outshine in beauty. Her hair was as black as the night and pulled back into a single, simple plait. A few stray strands came out from the braid in a travel-worn way and gently came to rest at her brow. It was a very plain style, but that made her face even more beautiful in its simplicity. She didn't need fancy jewels or clothes to make herself look lovely, she had all she needed: her innocence, and it shone brightly in her dark eyes like twin stars.

Siegfried was taken back by her appearance. He felt something come over him; something like… what was it? Something that he truly hadn't felt in a long time, but still, he gave the girl the impression that he had felt nothing at all. He gave an expression that said she was just another face among many that had passed by this vicinity. He stared down at her with chilling ice-blue eyes and asked, "You have no idea what is contained within this place?"

The girl quickly shook her head, "No, I don't."

Although he was wary, the best course of action appeared to be to let her look around. If she had the eyes of an innocent, then this place would look like nothing more than an old structure with a 'god' inside and who was he to shatter that illusion? In fact, he preferred she kept it and simply went away discouraged, but alive. She didn't need to be another one of 'them'. He stepped aside to reveal the broken pathway, as if he had nothing to hide, and turned toward her, "Then why take such a long journey when you will find nothing here?"

She glanced aside with a small frown on her lips before she looked up at him again, "I feel as though I have been sent here for something," she trailed off uncertainly as she glanced around the barren area. He could see a small glimmer of hope fade from her eyes, but then it came back stronger than before as she looked at him, "Even if I do not find what I'm looking for, I'm certain my journey has not been in vain!"

"Then by all means, child, take a look at where it has brought you."

The girl looked about with a stoic expression as she examined every crack and every crook that the place had to offer, as if they may tell her what she was looking for; whatever she was looking for. She slowly made her way over to a wall and gazed up at the stained glass windows. He could hear her words, soft, but heavy with admiration for their beauty, despite the fact that some of the windows had broken long before he had even arrived there. He watched her stop to admire each one with no detail missed under her alert eyes.

"Is my journey to meet a god?" He heard her ask herself. She stayed still for a moment considering this, but when she came to the conclusion it wasn't her purpose, she moved toward his direction, staring at the area behind him.

Siegfried readied his blade silently as he followed her to the broken pathway. The girl came to the void and simply stared down into the abyss with a saddened expression. She paced along the edge of the cliff for a moment before stopping and asking him, "This is all that is here?"

He nodded, "Yes, this is all."

"But…" she looked aside, gently biting at her knuckle in contemplation, "this can't be right."

"I hide nothing from you. All that you see before you is what is here."

The girl frowned gently at him before sitting at the ledge. There was a long pause of silence before the girl looked up and spoke again with small tears dampening her lower lids, "This black hole… does it mean my future is… empty…?"

Siegfried simply stared at her, unmoving, unchanging. The girl pounded her fist down as she turned slightly to face him, "This can't be why I came all this way! Please tell me that my future is not like this black hole! There has to be a reason why… a reason…" The look in her eyes changed suddenly as her dark eyes met his light ones. She tilted her head ever so slightly with an expression that seemed to say that she just had an epiphany of sorts.

His brow furrowed. What was that expression for? Before he could question the stranger about it, he noticed the ledge below her crumbling.

"Look out!" Siegfried yelled.

"Huh…?" She looked down just in time to see the ledge give away completely and tip her into the abyss. She desperately tried to twist her body in the air and reach out for a side, but fell short.

Siegfried dropped his sword and lunged forward to grab her hand, but all he felt was the gossamer warmth of it as she fell away from him. His eyes widened in horror as he watched the girl plummet into the inky abyss, screaming the whole way down. On instinct, he began climbing down. Something must have been worthwhile to her to make her stay, but now her corpse would be a permanent part here. When he realized the Soul Edge was down there and could easily take hold of her body he began to descend faster. The past would **_not_** repeat itself. He went faster and faster, almost slipping a few times before he finally landed in the pit.

He looked around, trying to get his eyes adjusted to the barely lit area quickly. After a few moments, they did and it was there that he saw the young girl, sprawled upon the ground like a broken doll, blood trickling from her limbs. His breath caught in his throat at the sight, but then he realized something. He could see her head slowly turning to look at the Soul Edge that she had landed right beside.

Siegfried closed his eyes. She had just seen the blade and knowing that it purely existed could corrupt her. Out of his sense of duty, he clutched his fists, ready to kill her if that were the case. He went to her side and stared down with a narrowed glance.

Blood spilled from the side of her mouth, but she said in a voice barely above a whisper, "Such… evil…" she gasped a little as she looked to him, "This cannot… be…"

He watched as she shuddered in agony for a moment, before leaning down and holding her head up slightly.

"Surely… this sword… has a… Yin…?" She asked as she looked up at him. She held his gaze as long as she could before passing out in his arms.

His hand immediately went to her throat where he could feel her pulse, weak, but steady. Without a second thought, he hoisted her onto his back and began climbing the ridge. As he made his way up, he was dimly aware of the Soul Edge calling out to him. How it could save her, how it could give him peace again… they were distant to him. The only thing he was aware of now was that there was a hurt innocent on his back that needed him right now.

When he finally reached the top of the pit, he sprawled the girl onto her back, looking her over. Gently, he ran his good hand along her limbs, surprised when he found no signs of broken bones. He lightly pushed along her torso discovering the same thing. He figured the worse of it was that she hit her head and got cut up pretty badly on the way down.

'She's lucky she's not dead,' he thought as he immediately went to the spots where her black gown was torn and blood seeped through. He tore off the violet cloth that hung behind him, the remains of his shirt, and used it to shred into strips of makeshift bandages. One went on her thigh, one on either arm, and a rather large one went about her head, where he had found another wound. When he finished with this, he noticed she was cool to the touch. He carefully eased her into his lap covering her with the cloak she was wearing before.

The fall looked like it had literally broken her and even now, she seemed so small and delicate under the cloth where she recovered. He was careful to move a few strands of her hair off her pale face to check for bruising, but there was so little it looked as if there were none at all. As his fingertips brushed her face he found that her skin was soft, like the petals of a fresh spring flower. This brought another question in his head. Why would someone as young and fresh as her make such a taxing journey? More so, why would she risk her life as to stay at his side knowing that he was armed? She could have easily taken the blade away, but she didn't.

"You're a strange one," Siegfried murmured. He realized that his fingers still rested on her face and he quickly pulled them away, as if he had placed his hands on a hot coal. He shook his head as a thought ran through his mind, one that he suppressed rather quickly.

"She's badly wounded," he said aloud, as if explaining the reason for his actions to himself. It was in anyone's good nature to be concerned for the weak. It's not like he was the heartless bastard everyone thought him to be. He leaned his head back, eyes never leaving the girl, mentally promising to watch her until she was okay again. Then perhaps he could send her home instead of killing her. She hadn't been down in the pit long, and even during her short time, she seemed to realize that the Soul Edge was not a blade to be taken so lightly. Then he remembered she had said something about a 'Yin'. A Yin? Perhaps she meant an object of purity instead of the blade of evil she had seen. Maybe she was talking about the Soul Calibur…

Even then, it was impossible. He couldn't allow either blade to leave this realm. Eventually, one's release would lead to the others and that couldn't happen anymore. Even with the Soul Calibur, death was death, the death of the good, innocent people, and the death of the evil, treacherous tyrants. It was an endless cycle. Not that he was trying to stop death altogether, because that was an impossible task, but rather to stop the death and corruption that these blades caused.

He glanced down to the girl in his lap once more before closing his eyes with a deep sigh.

"Whatever your motives, you need not get caught up in the spiral that is the Soul Blades, understand?" He demanded firmly.

The girl's fist slowly closed over her chest in response.

* * *

"What is this?" The girl gently asked her family as she looked up from her rice bowl.

"It's your dinner, Min-Li," her mother replied gently. She looked so pale and fatigued as well as the man beside her who was soot covered and may as well have fallen asleep at the table.

"Mother, I mean no disrespect, but its such a small amount," Min-Li replied while slowly picking up her chopsticks.

"I'm sorry, but it's all that we've been given," the woman replied while doing the same, "and I, for one, am thankful we are not starving."

Min-Li gripped her chopsticks, her hands trembling in anger as she looked about her family. Her mother and father never looked happy anymore. Even young Min-Li held her own aura of worry at the thought of being taken away from her family simply for being a fair, beautiful maiden. All because of…

She slammed her chopsticks down on the table, "How can you say that so calmly! We used to have much, much more than this! We were a happy, prosperous family and now look at us; we live in constant fear of this… this… man! He comes into our town and acts like he owns the place while we sit back and simply LET him!"

Her father glared at her, "Min-Li, it's not that simple. His army is much larger than ours and we do not need senseless bloodshed. We have no choice but to cooperate and hope for the best."

"Father! You used to be a proud man and now look at you! They have reduced you to nothing more than a mule!"

He stood angrily, "Watch your tongue, young lady! Have respect for those who are older than you!"

"How can I respect those who can barely respect themselves!" Min-Li demanded.

Before she could even blink, her father backhanded her sharply across the face, hard enough that the delicate girl was sent to the floor, holding her cheek and looking down: humbled and shamed.

"I am doing the best I can and so is everyone else here! You should be ashamed of your sharp tongue, daughter! I have raised you better than that!" He yelled.

Min-Li shook between her anger and her sobs, then softly said, "We shouldn't have to take this, it's not fair. Where are our Gods and our ancestors now?"

A hushed silence fell upon the room. Min-Li's mother hid her face, to hide her tears, and her father looked sad suddenly.

"You said… you said they'd always look after us. Where are they now, Father?" Min-Li demanded softly.

He said nothing he simply looked away.

Min-Li stood, "Father, I'm sorry, but… I can't live like this anymore. None of us should have to live like this! I understand you working, Father, and you trying to keep us as happy as you can, Mother, and I appreciate that the Gods have blessed me with this wonderful family," she looked aside, "however, I see Lord Chen looking at me everyday… I see more girls being taken against their will to be with him and I'm next. I can't be reduced down to some cheap whore. I refuse to be used like that and I would rather die than bear anything that has his blood running through its veins."

"That won't happen, Min-Li," her father assured.

"You can't make such a promise. He'll kill you and still take me anyway," Min-Li looked out the window, "I have to get away. I have to go ever further than the edges of this country. A million miles away from here if I can."

"You can't go anywhere, Min-Li," her mother piped in, "where would you go?"

"West…"

"West?" Her mother asked, "What is out west?"

"I don't know, but I keep having this dream of a chapel and a voice that keeps beckoning me. It says that everything will turn out for the better and that if I go I could make things peaceful at home," she leaned against the window, "I think it's a vision. It's very realistic and reoccurring."

"And how do you plan on going out West?" her Father asked.

Min-Li glanced around, then lowered her voice as she sat at the table, "I'll leave at night. Everyone will be sleeping and they'll never notice me."

"They'll capture you if they see you," her Mother warned.

"I know," Min-Li said quietly, "but I have to take that chance. I have to make things the way they were before. Not just for me, but for everyone," she bowed her head deeply, "please understand that I feel I must take this path." She turned for her bedroom to prepare for that night.

"You shouldn't go, Min-Li," her father said quickly while taking her wrist in his hand.

Min-Li looked to her Father's hand, and then smiled gently and sadly, "Forgive me, but I must."

* * *

"Hnng…" the girl moaned as she woke up, "Ah… I must…" she whimpered, trying to sit up, but a flaring pain in her head didn't allow her to go very far. She found herself on the ground of the chapel, staring up at the broken shards of glass. She was wrapped up in her cloak and some other cloth. She was dimly aware of why she was laying like that, but then she realized what had happened, the fall, the sword, and the blinding pain. Even now, she was in so much pain that her vision was blurred. She could barely see or think because of the pain.

A figure leaned over her suddenly that looked like… she gasped… "No… no… get away from me…! I refuse to be your concubine…!"

"Concubine?" The voice repeated, reaching a hand out.

The girl struggled weakly, "No…" she whimpered, "Please no…"

She felt a hand against her brow; a strong, but gentle hand that rested there.

"You're not fevered…"

"Who are you?" she asked quietly.

"My name is Siegfried. Who are you?" he asked back.

"…Hua Min-Li," she replied quietly, "You're… you're that God, aren't you…?"

"I'm not a God," Siegfried said.

"How can you not be?" Min-Li asked quietly, "Your hair is brighter than the sun and your eyes compare to that of the heavens."

He was silent for a moment before he tilted his head aside with a quizzical look, "That doesn't make me a God. I was born this way. You act as if you haven't seen a blonde before."

"I haven't…" Min-Li said softly, reaching a hand up.

Siegfried watched her small, ivory fingers curl around a lock of his hair. She twisted her fingers in it, and even up to his scalp. Her touch was gentle all the while, whether it was because she was weak or scared, he couldn't tell. She squinted softly and stared into his eyes for a moment before speaking again.

"If you're not a God, then why are you up here?"

"I'm a guardian."

"You're here because of that evil blade aren't you?"

A nod, "Yes, I am."

"Why…?"

Siegfried stared down at her with his eyes narrowed a little. She was asking him why? He never realized how completely innocent that question could sound than when he heard it coming from her.

"Why?" He repeated.

"Yes… why…?" Min-Li brought her hand up and touched the growth with her fingertip, "Is this why?"

Siegfried quickly jerked his shoulder away, "It's a small part."

"But…"

"Hush," Siegfried said in a firm tone, "you need your rest. You're still recovering."

Min-Li looked aside, "How long have I been recovering?"

"Four days."

"Oh no!" Min-Li tried to sit up, but Siegfried quickly stopped her. She was glad he did because of the burning pain at the back of her head from even the slight movement.

"You are a very stubborn girl," he murmured in a voice that sounded like a low growl.

Min-Li looked up at him questioningly. She couldn't see his expression, but she could somehow tell that he was worried. Feeling bad about her actions, she lay still, "I'm sorry."

Siegfried glanced down at her, then away, "Just go to sleep."

Min-Li lay her head down again, finding she felt warm, not just from her cloak, but she realized she was in his lap. Her eyes weakly scanned the chapel's grounds to find a few small bowls with remnants of stew in them. It must have been her nourishment, but how did he get food…? She looked toward the wall where his blade lay, covered with a little bit of blood and surrounded by feathers.

Disgusted, Min-Li decided then would be the best time to go to sleep.

* * *

Min-Li remained in her state of rest for what seemed like an eternity, though in reality it was only a few more days than when she woke up the first time. She managed to become a little more lucid to feed herself now instead of him having to do it for her, just to ensure she wouldn't grow any weaker from malnutrition. Other than eating, Min-Li slept and he didn't take her eyes off of her.

It surprised him that she seemed riddled of nightmares of her own during her rest. When we went to check her wounds, she flinched against his touch and whimpered that she didn't belong to him or other times she would sob about her parents. Poor girl. She seemed too young to be enduring any of this…

Many questions arose in his mind about her, questions he knew only she had the answer to. Why was she here? What purpose did she have? What did she think she was going to accomplish? Obviously she wasn't evil, not as polite as she had been to him. She even gasped in what he assumed to be a mix of pain and horror when she laid eyes on the Soul Edge. He knitted his brows in minor frustration.

"Siegfried…?"

He snapped out of his daze, realizing that while he was engulfed in his own thoughts, Min-Li sat up and was staring at him.

"Hm?"

"I think I'm alright now," she was beginning to unwrap the bandages he wrapped around her to see if she healed well. She folded them nicely as she peeled them off, looking over her arms and legs. There were slightly red marks but the wounds had closed and healed amazingly well in such a short amount of time.

"Does my head look okay?" she asked while gently feeling for a bump.

Siegfried canted his head, "Only a scratch, but you're doing a lot better."

Min-Li smiled at him, "Good!" When she finally got a good look at him, she frowned deeply, "Oh my, have you been sleeping well?"

Siegfried gave her an odd look, "Don't worry about it."

"But you look exhausted," she slowly approached him, "Surely you haven't stayed awake on my behalf."

Seeing a look in her eyes that reflected both pity and guilt, he shook his head, "I never sleep well. Your injury just gave me something to do."

She bowed her head softly, "Thank you."

Siegfried felt a little awkward at her formality, "Don't thank me. Anyone would have done it."

"But _you_ did it."

"It's not a big deal," he stood with the serious look he gave when he first saw her, as if what had happened was her luck and nothing more, "I may have to kill you still."

"Kill me…?" Min-Li frowned, but narrowed her eyes at the same time, "Why?"

"This place is sacred. Why are you seeking a blade here?"

"I told you before," Min-Li slowly, shakily stood and began to walk around, "I kept dreaming of this very place. Every night I would hear a voice telling me of this great weapon," seeing his skeptical glance she added, "If it were a one night occurrence, I would have thought nothing of it, but it's happened for me several times!"

Siegfried stood as well, glancing down to her, "And what would the voice tell you?"

"It would just tell me 'find the weapon that will save your people… your village…'." She seemed to think about it for a moment before slowly responding, "It was always the same."

"What's wrong with your village?"

Min-Li looked down for a moment, almost in shame before gazing back up again, "An evil man has come in and taken over with force. We're helpless against him… we have no real army because we're just simple people. He wants our land… I don't know why… but someone has to deal with him! No one will because no one wants to die… but if I became powerful enough with this 'weapon' then I could help everyone! So that's why I'm here… it's something I must do."

Siegfried's eyes narrowed, "You're a child. Leave your village's problem to the adults."

Min-Li stepped forward daringly, "They've surrendered because they want the situation to be resolved peacefully with no bloodshed, which won't happen! These men have raped our resources and our women! The head villagers are so blind to it… If no one will take a stand for what's right then let it be me!" She pointed angrily at Siegfried, "I know you know something about that weapon! If you don't tell me then I'll fight you until you do!"

Siegfried's brows shot up at her boldness, then narrowed again, "You think you can beat me in such a weakened state?"

Min-Li walked to a corner, picking up a pair of maces that shown silver in the midday sun, which she thrust forward, "I don't want to, but I have to try!"

Siegfried reached for his blade and readied it, then looked over Min-Li as if to size her up, "Look kid, I don't want to fight you either, but you can't simply take a weapon based on a dream."

Min-Li darted forward and swung her maces into Siegfried's chest armor, "Don't talk down on me! I'm a woman, not a child!"

Siegfried grabbed the maces and pushed her back, "Woman or not, you still don't know what you're up against!"

"Then just tell me!" Min-Li demanded, "I'll remain ignorant until you just say something to me!"

"….." Siegfried lowered his sword and motioned to where she was before, "Sit."

Min-Li kneeled down cautiously, never letting go of her maces until Siegfried set his sword aside.

((TBC! Your comments give me inspiration! Comment a lot and I _could _get done faster 3))


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